THE ROSE OF TREASON - Simply Powerful

From left to right, William Swoboda as Alex Schmorell, Reiley Fitzsimmons as Sophie Scholl, Marko Van Slyke as Hans Scholl, Lio Landis as Christl Probst, and Natalie Ottman as Else Gebel in The Rose of Treason at First Stage Young Company. Photo credit: Paul Ruffolo.

A review of The Rose of Treason

by Sofia Gilson, age 16

Based on the real White Rose resistance group in 1940s Germany, The Rose of Treason tells the story of Sophie Scholl (portrayed by Reiley Fitzsimmons) and her involvement in the movement against Nazi power in Germany. Although a minimalist show with simple set and costume design, it was perfectly effective in its chilling delivery of powerful messages of resistance, and the direction around a theatre-in-the-round, a feat typically difficult for directors and performers alike, was executed splendidly. 

This production’s set contained very few pieces—a handful of tables, chairs, crates, and elevated platforms. The decision to sparingly feature set pieces was not at all to the production’s detriment, and it instead allowed for focus to remain on the dialogue and actions of the performers. Distinction of locations was instead made through lighting, projections, or reorientation of the set features, which made all settings clear. Various quotes from Adolf Hitler were displayed on the projector during scene transitions, giving bone-chilling commentary about the actions taking place onstage.

This show may not have required complex lighting (coordinated by Marion Frank), but key characters were always effectively and creatively lit. The flashes of light at the end symbolize members’  execution or the constant white light upon Else Gebel (portrayed by Natalie Ottoman) when she was omnipresently seated in the audience or on the stage’s side, worked incredibly well with the story. Every costume (coordinated by Michelle Verbos) was similarly minimal—white pants, shirts, shoes, and dresses, with additional pieces with more color added over these bases. Even though I dearly love grand costumes, I still found the modest, plain nature of them to be effective and undistracting. 

Every talented member of the First Stage Young Company brought intense energy to their roles. Arguments for mercy from the court and tearful goodbyes felt very real, and simple moments of joy or bickering between Hans (portrayed by Marko Van Slyke) and Sophie similarly felt genuine. All blocking and direction around the theatre-in-the-round stage was done tastefully, with each performer almost always visible to anyone sitting in any location around the theatre.

The Rose of Treason tells an old tale of hopeful rebellion that appeared to have unfortunately failed against an even stronger force, but their ideas still lived on, being distributed in mass numbers throughout Nazi-ruled Germany, still allowing them to have a great impact on the public’s ideas  This show holds a message everyone needs to hear, which was masterfully delivered by simplistic design and powerful performances from First Stage Young Company.

Check out more shows from First Stage and their Young Company program!